Garden State Hardwood Classic Tips-Off Saturday
Dec 04 | Men's Basketball
| Game Eight: Rutgers at Seton Hall (Garden State Hardwood Classic) | |
| Date | Saturday, December 6, 2014 |
| Time | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Newark, N.J. | Prudential Center |
| Television | MSG Rick Ackerman and Jim Spanarkel |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WOR (710) and WCTC (1450AM) Chris Carlin & Dick Lloyd Rutgers Student Radio - WRSU (88.7 FM) |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Seton Hall |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Seton Hall |
| Video | RVision: Garden State Hardwood Classic Trophy Unveiled |
| Social Media | @RutgersMBB  | Facebook/RutgersMBB  | #GSHClassic |
Dec. 4, 2014
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (4-3) plays its fourth straight game away from the RAC, but returns to New Jersey, for the Garden State Hardwood Classic (#GSHClassic) versus rival Seton Hall (6-0) on Saturday at 12 noon at the Prudential Center. The Pirates are receiving votes in the AP poll. The home arenas for the schools, dubbed the "RAC" and the "Rock," are separated by an approximate 27-mile drive. This year's contest is the second in an eight-year agreement to continue the series at alternating home sites through 2020.
Saturday afternoon's game will be televised live in the New York Metro area on MSG, with Rich Ackerman calling the action and Jim Spanarkel providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York & WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also broadcast the game.
The winner of Saturday's game will be presented the #GSHClassic Trophy, which was unveiled at a media conference held Wednesday at the Skylark Diner in Edison. The trophy is constructed primarily from recycled Asbury Park boardwalk planks, which were retrieved during a re-decking after Superstorm Sandy. The trophy topper is formed in the state of New Jersey with the base mimicking the form and texture of a basketball. "1916" is branded on the topper, which signifies the year of the initial meeting between the schools on the hardwood. The athletics logos are hand painted on the topper at their geographic locations. The official logo of the Garden State Hardwood Classic, which was conceived and created by Seton Hall women's soccer student-athlete Peggy Nicolle, adorns the base. The trophy stands 32 inches tall and weighs 33 pounds.
New Jersey resident Colin Pezzano, a 2014 graduate of the University of the Arts, created the one-of-a-kind award. The trophy was constructed in a workshop on a farm in Cumberland County, N.J.
The #GSHClassic Trophy, as well as the Joe Calabrese Game Most Valuable Player Award, will be presented post-game.
Rutgers and Seton Hall have met 65 times meeting on the collegiate hardwood dating to 1916, with Seton Hall holding a 36-29 advantage in victories. Eighteen of the last 20 meetings have been decided by six points or less or in overtime. The teams have played 51 times since 1974-75 and have met every season since 1995-96. Rutgers has won the last three contests played at "The Rock" and is 6-15 all-time on SHU's home floor. The Pirates captured last season's match-up, 77-71, at the RAC, but the Scarlet Knights have won three of the last four meetings. Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan competed in the series as a player and helped RU to a 2-1 mark in those contests.
Rutgers is coming off a 69-64 win at Clemson in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Monday night, in what was RU's third road game in four nights and seventh contest over 15 days to begin its inaugural Big Ten Campaign. Junior Etou scored a career-high 20 points as Rutgers defeated an ACC opponent on its home floor while it was an active member of the league for the first time in RU history. The 16/3 assist-to-turnover ratio (5.3/1) by the Scarlet Knights was the best ever by a Clemson opponent and the three turnovers by RU tied for the fewest ever by a Tigers' foe. Etou was joined in double figures by Kadeem Jack, Myles Mack and Greg Lewis. Jack shot 6-of-11 to score 15 points, Mack contributed 12 points and eight assists and Lewis had a career-best 11 points and two blocks.
Mack leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally in steals (3.29), while placing second in the Conference and 34th nationally in minutes played (36.0). Etou is fifth in the league in rebounding (7.7).
Seton Hall, under the leadership of fifth-year head coach Kevin Willard, never trailed in a 78-55 home victory over reigning Northeast Conference champion Mount Saint Mary's on Tuesday night. Freshman Khadeen Carrington scored a career-high 18 points off the bench on 8-for-8 shooting. Junior guard Sterling Gibbs, the current Big East Conference Player of the Week, leads the team in scoring (18.3), while highly-touted freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead adds 10.5 points-per-game.
